Instead, Whittier will receive a $272,000 grant which will allow the city to hire two part-time homelessness coordinators for the next 18 months; provide job training; landlord engagement workshops; conduct street engagement with the homelessness; work with local schools; and provide veterans housing assistance.

Los Angeles County and United Way of Greater Los Angeles awarded the $272,000 grant from from $9 million in Measure H money — the quarter-cent sales tax county voters approved in March 2017 — the county Board of Supervisors allocated last year.

Whittier was among 20 applicants — some cities joined forces — to receive a total of $3.8 million. Nearly $3 million in grants, including a $300,000 grant Whittier had requested, were denied. The applicants will be allowed to resubmit, according to the county.

The second grant would have provided money for motel and hotel vouchers for 2,000 nights throughout months for a person or a family. In addition, money was sought to and lease four or five residential units for transitional housing.

“It’s disappointing,” Whittier City Manager Jeff Collier said of the county’s decision to deny the second grant.

Collier said he plans to continue to work with other nearby cities to provide a regional solution with more shelters.

Whittier’s homeless plan also calls for a $3 million, one-stop access center that would provide showers, 24-hour restrooms, laundry service access, a safe parking area and a shelter for pets.

Phil Ansell, director of the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative, said the county needs more information from Whittier.

Martin Browne, Whittier community service manager, said he plans to meet this week with county officials to talk about Whittier’s proposal and how it can be improved.

The county offered grants up to $300,000 in two areas. One was to to increase the supply of supportive and interim housing for people experiencing homelessness; and the second was to to enhance the effectiveness of service systems for those experiencing and/or at-risk of homelessness.

In an emailed release, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahnsaid she is encouraged by the grants awarded.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to ending the homelessness crisis,” Hahn wrote, “Partnering with our cities to fund local projects that address their unique challenges is going to be key to building lasting change.”

Mike Sprague started at the Whittier Daily News in April 1984. Since then, Sprague has covered every city in the Whittier Daily News circulation area, as well as political and water issues. Sprague received a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's degree in political science, both from Cal State Fullerton.